Dodgers sign 41-year-old pitcher Jamey Wright to a minor-league deal

Jamey Wright (28), then a Dodgers closer, shakes hands with catcher A.J. Ellis after a win over St. Louis on June 29, 2014. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

The Dodgers have signed Jamey Wright, a 41-year-old veteran of 19 big-league seasons and 10 big-league teams, to a minor-league contract. Wright arrived at Camelback Ranch on Wednesday morning.

Wright did not pitch in 2015 after being released by the Texas Rangers near the end of spring training. He became reinvigorated while playing catch this offseason with Clayton Kershaw near Dallas. The two have thrown together in recent years, and Kershaw asked Wright to be his partner again this winter.

Advertisement

"I said, 'I would love to,'" Wright said. "I said, 'If I don't do it, after doing it since I was 18 years old, that time of year, I'll probably go into a depression if I don't do it.' So I told him I would.

"The first time out felt great. The second time felt even better. Then we started getting some other guys in there throwing, but I wanted to keep throwing. I wanted to take it through and see how it feels."

Wright's representatives contacted a few teams about a sending a scout to see him. The Dodgers were one of them. Wright pitched for the team in 2012 and 2014. He posted a 4.35 ERA in 61 games in 2014.

"I'm not here to babysit or do any of that," Wright said. "I'm here to try to make the team. I still have the desire to win a World Series. That's why I'm here."

Kershaw was happy to see Wright in camp. He laughed when asked if he too intended to pitch into his 40s.

"I hope so," Kershaw said. "I doubt it. But I hope so. There's not many people who are 41 and in the type of shape that J-Mo's in. It's a testament to him and what he's been able to do in his career."